Book Review: Front Yard Gardens
Karen If you are tired of fertilizing, spraying, watering, weeding, and mowing your lawn Liz Primeau’s book, Front Yard Gardens, might be the perfect pick for you. Writing from her experience…
Growing Plants from Seed: Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
The tall spires of hollyhocks are always a welcome sight but especially in cottage gardens where they evoke a nostalgia for times past. Hollyhock is a native of China and…
Plant Profile: Dianthus ‘Mrs. Sinkins’
Bred in Berkshire, England in 1883 by Mr. Sinkins, this old fashioned pink has evergreen foliage that is grass-like and silvery-green. The double white flowers with green centers appear in…
Plant Profile: Corncockle (Agrostemma githago)
Corncockle is an upright annual belonging to the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae, that also includes pinks, baby’s breath, and campion. It is native to Europe where it grows in disturbed sites…
Growing Plants from Seed: Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea cyanus)
Bachelor’s button is a cool weather annual native to Europe where it was a common weed in corn fields and hence acquired the common name cornflower. The species is has…
Plant Profile: Honesty (Lunaria annua)
This biennial often grown as an annual is native to the Balkans and southwest Asia and is also called money plant, silver dollars, Chinese coins, and similar, because of its…
Plant Profile: Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum var. heptalobum)
There are many beautiful Japanese maples and this is one of them. With its elegant form and superb autumn coloration it is a fine choice for a courtyard, cottage garden,…
Plant Profile: Golden Columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha)
This herbaceous perennial is a native of southwestern United States including parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah were it grows in moist places in sheltered canyons. It…
Plant Profile: Wall Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys aka T. x lucidrys)
This broadleaf evergreen, creeping shrub is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Its attractive aromatic foliage forms a low mound of dark green oval leaves with scalloped margins on…
Plant Profile: Autumn Pineapple Lily (Eucomis autumnalis)
Neither a pineapple nor a true lily, this native of South Africa is related to hyacinths and asparagus but has a tuft of leaves above the flowers that gives them…